Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help ensure that children who are mistakenly assessed as adults are not sent to Rwanda during the pilot stage of the Government's offshoring agreement with that country.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
With the exception of unaccompanied children, any individual who has arrived in the UK since 1 January 2022 by unnecessary and dangerous means from safe countries – including those arriving by small boats, hidden in the back of lorries - may be considered for relocation to Rwanda
An individualised assessment of each suitable person’s circumstances will be undertaken prior to any decision to relocate them to Rwanda. Any vulnerabilities will be taken into consideration and every individual who is suitable for relocation under this policy will be able to make representations where they are concerned the country in question would not be safe for them. We would not relocate someone where it would be unsafe or inappropriate to do so. More details are set out in our inadmissibility policy guidance on GOV.UK.
Our assessment is that Rwanda is a safe and secure country with respect for the rule of law. Our Country Policy Information Note, published on 9 May on GOV.UK, provides further information on the basis by which we have determined that Rwanda is a safe place for refugees.
In a case where someone is claiming to be under 18 years old, they would not be relocated until the appropriate age assessment process has been completed. Where an individual has no credible evidence of their age and where there continues to be doubt, a thorough age assessment process will be followed. They will be treated as though they are a child until a decision on their age has been made.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of her proposals to offshore refugees to Rwanda on refugee (a) women and (b) children.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
With the exception of unaccompanied children, any individual who has arrived in the UK since 1 January 2022 by unnecessary and dangerous means from safe countries – including those arriving by small boats, hidden in the back of lorries - may be considered for relocation to Rwanda
An individualised assessment of each suitable person’s circumstances will be undertaken prior to any decision to relocate them to Rwanda. Any vulnerabilities will be taken into consideration and every individual who is suitable for relocation under this policy will be able to make representations where they are concerned the country in question would not be safe for them. We would not relocate someone where it would be unsafe or inappropriate to do so. More details are set out in our inadmissibility policy guidance on GOV.UK.
Our assessment is that Rwanda is a safe and secure country with respect for the rule of law. Our Country Policy Information Note, published on 9 May on GOV.UK, provides further information on the basis by which we have determined that Rwanda is a safe place for refugees.
In a case where someone is claiming to be under 18 years old, they would not be relocated until the appropriate age assessment process has been completed. Where an individual has no credible evidence of their age and where there continues to be doubt, a thorough age assessment process will be followed. They will be treated as though they are a child until a decision on their age has been made.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her proposals to offshore refugees to Rwanda will only apply to single men.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
With the exception of unaccompanied children, any individual who has arrived in the UK since 1 January 2022 by unnecessary and dangerous means from safe countries – including those arriving by small boats, hidden in the back of lorries - may be considered for relocation to Rwanda
An individualised assessment of each suitable person’s circumstances will be undertaken prior to any decision to relocate them to Rwanda. Any vulnerabilities will be taken into consideration and every individual who is suitable for relocation under this policy will be able to make representations where they are concerned the country in question would not be safe for them. We would not relocate someone where it would be unsafe or inappropriate to do so. More details are set out in our inadmissibility policy guidance on GOV.UK.
Our assessment is that Rwanda is a safe and secure country with respect for the rule of law. Our Country Policy Information Note, published on 9 May on GOV.UK, provides further information on the basis by which we have determined that Rwanda is a safe place for refugees.
In a case where someone is claiming to be under 18 years old, they would not be relocated until the appropriate age assessment process has been completed. Where an individual has no credible evidence of their age and where there continues to be doubt, a thorough age assessment process will be followed. They will be treated as though they are a child until a decision on their age has been made.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department made an assessment of the human rights situation in Rwanda prior to the partnership agreement on the hosting of refugees in Rwanda.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of whether Rwanda is a safe country to which to send LGBT+ refugees.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to publish guidelines that protect LGBT+ refugees in relation to her proposals to offshore refugees to Rwanda.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the grant rate for asylum applications at her proposed offshore processing centres in Rwanda.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her proposals to offshore refugees to Rwanda will only apply to single men.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Memorandum of Understanding between the UK and Rwanda published 14 April 2022, when the monitoring group will be established and whether its findings and recommendations will be published before this House.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the plans to offshore refugees to Rwanda, whether people arriving in the UK because they have family members in that country will be considered eligible to be sent to Rwanda.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.